Monday, 30 July 2012

Album Review - Adam Lambert: Trespassing

So Adam Lambert finally released
his brand new album Trespassing in the UK this month so I've been listening to
it on Spotify. I've always quite liked Adam Lambert, way before he joined with
Queen this year to play concerts. His song from his first album, Whataya Want
From Me, was played a lot when I visited Switzerland for a school exchange in
my 4th year so it brings back good memories. And Adam's music seems to blend
elements of rock, pop, glam and dance together which is interesting to listen
to. I'm not a lover of dance music, there are a few exceptions of course, but
that irritating beat and the autotune on most tunes nowadays just drives me
crazy. But on this album, you can hear real vocals and a more natural sense to
the music, which is a huge breath of fresh air. Once again, this is my own
personal review on this album, I'm not a professional critic, but hopefully
this might persuade some of you to go and buy this album, because I'm going to!
:D

1. Trespassing - This song really
gets you going. The stomps and claps make you want to rock along with it. This
is the more rock side to Adam in this opening track and it's one of my
favourites. Adam's vocals soar over the amazing bass riff and heavy guitar. As
soon as this track plays, you just want to dance to it. Love it.

2. Cuckoo - We then move on to
the more dance-pop era with his track. The dance beats are good because they're
not right in your face like most artists these days.

3. Shady - The vocals in this are
sooo good. The bends at the end of vocal lines are so smooth and sexy, it's
sizzling. This song has a funky edgy sound to it which just makes you want to
swing along to it. And it's also good to hear Sam Sparro's voice again

4. Never Close Our Eyes - A dance
track to make you move. Adam's vocals in this are sublime and this track is
filled with colour and life. It has a certain hidden retro style to it which is
fascinating to listen to.

5. Kickin' In - At the start I
wasn't sure about this track, and it's still not really growing on me. Have to
say though, the harmonies, Adam's high notes and the bass riff are all amazing
in this track but for some reason, this song isn't getting to me as much as the
other ones did. Probably because I find the lyrics a bit repetitive. I hate
being picky. :(

6. Naked Love - I absolutely love
the guitar in this, sounds almost Latin American like. This song gets you
dancing that's for sure.

7. Pop That Lock - This dance
number has a sense of mystery to it, yes it has that dance beat but something
in the key which makes it sounds eerie and mysterious.

8. Better Than I Know Myself -
This was the first single and that's where I saw the maturity in Adam's music.
This song is sang beautifully, and is so addictive to listen to. Here you can
hear his personal side, his hidden fear of being himself, and he communicates
it so well. The emotion in this is beautiful and the high notes are sang so
effortlessly, it does send shivers down your spine.

9. Broken English - I never
thought I would like the electronic beat in the chorus, at first I thought it
was too intense. But after listening to it a couple of times, this song has
grown on me. Once again it has it's mysterious eerie side to it. Very well
done.

10. Underneath - The emotion in
this track almost made me shed a tear, not even joking. Here we lose all the dance
beats and just hear the raw power of Adam's voice. Other reviews have been
complaining about the second half of this album as it's too 'emotional and
emo'. I completely disagree, it's stunning to listen to. The ghost-like feel
for this highlights this pure emotion.

11. Chokehold - We return to the
more rocky side with this track. Once again it sounds very mysterious. This
song is really good, one of my faves. You could easily headbang to this track.

12. Outlaws of Love - This song,
once again has this emotional melancholy feel to it, and it's nice to break
away from the dance beat again. This is a beautiful ballad like tune, with a
powerful message. The beauty of Adam's voice fits this perfectly, the serious
side to this album.

13. Runnin' - The drum beat
in this is powerful and heavy which makes it really dramatic. It's also nice to
hear Adam use the lower notes, which he can make sound as beautiful as his
higher notes. This is a strong, exciting song, with that thumping beat pumping
throughout the whole thing. Not meaning to be picky again, but ending that one
note on the bridge before the last chorus with autotune wasn't necessary, kinda
annoyed me. :P

14. Take Back - The piano sounds
great in this rock like track. You realise why his fanbase is called Glamberts
because there is always a theatrical and diva side to his tunes.

15. Nirvana - This track has
that edge with the piano chords, making it sound dramatic and having that
oomph. (good review there Eilidh.) The chorus does warm up and makes it sound more
cheery in a way without making it so mushy about love.

16. By The Rules - The
techno sound is really recognisable in this bonus track. It also has this
continental sound to it, which is interesting. The guitar part is great, smooth
and sexy. Vocals are not as exciting as the previous tracks, not
sure why. But like I said, that's my opinion, you may love this track.

17. Map - The final two bonus
tracks have the techno element to them. This tune has this optimistic feel to
this, which is nice to hear but it's losing its power a bit. Nice song, just
wish it had a bit more of a big ending. Maybe I've been listening to Queen too
much. :P

Overall Rating - 8/10. This album
is great, you can really tell how much Adam has developed as a music artist.
Ok, some of the tunes weren't that good, but that's the case of most albums.
Haven't really listened to his first album but with some of the singles I've
heard from there, this new album is a big step in the right direction. And with
17 tracks on this, there sure will be something for everyone to love. My faves
are Trespassing, Shady, Better Than I Know Myself, Never Close Our Eyes,
Underneath and Naked Love. I'm glad Brian and Roger were able to recognise
Adam's talent with vocals and they did concerts with him. So even if you're not
that fond of dance music, like myself, but you want to hear amazing vocals with
that hint of drive and power, Adam's your man. I think I have turned into a
Glambert! :)

6 comments:

Had same feeling as u with Kickin' In. Didn't like it. I even tweeted to Adam that it was too repetitive. Weirdly, at the end of the day, that's the only song that was repeating in my head!This is one thing I find amazing abt Adam - he can make me like any song. After watching countless of Kickin' In performances by Adam, my god, I swear to u, it's now one of my favorite songs. It's just the way he improvises at the end that truly wowed me! He's a genius!

I really appreciate your review as I am a Queen fan also. As far as big endings, I loved on American Idol and also when Adam performs live, he gives us those crazy ending with notes that come from I don't know where. Many of the songs that I wasn't crazy about on both "For Your Entertainment" and "Trespassing", I fell in love with after experiencing Adam performing them live. His voice is better live than on the recordings. And at least for me, I hear and see the live performance when I listen to the CD. He is so addicting. Have you seen him live yet?

It's so funny about Adam - songs you're just OK with on the album, when you hear them live, you're just floored. That's true with Kickin In - saw the youtubes of his performance at Winstar Casino - July 27 - all I can say - the guy is one of the greatest live performers ever. I think he has the finest voice in the music biz today and he's had trouble getting U.S. radio to play him. Don't think it's just the gay thing - it's the way radio makes money today - highlighting the sure winners - and there's so much politics involved - great music has little to do with it.

So appreciate your thoughtful and thorough review very much. Hope U.K. radio plays him - the Queen gigs may be helpful. Thanks again.